Taking Home the Tycoon

by Catherine Mann

  Natalie lengthened her stride to keep up, each breath shaking free thoughts through her mind like the rustling trees shedding leaves. “I want to be with him, I want an affair. I need an affair, something just for me.”

  “What’s stopping you?”

  “My husband was my first, my only, and, um, there’s a size difference. Max was patient...and wonderful, but still, things were uncomfortable.”

  “Oh, my. That puts a damper on a moment, doesn’t it? Could also be your extended period of abstinence making the situation even more complicated?”

  “I considered that.”

  “These things happen. Happened to me when I went through menopause and my body went into seventy kinds of crazy changes. I learned from my sister that it can happen to cancer patients after treatments or surgery.”

  “That’s so sad. How did I not know that?”

  “We women need to talk more. It’s silly to be embarrassed about our bodies and finding what feels good.”

  No one had ever been so candid with her. Not even her friends in college had talked about these matters so openly. A blush heated her skin. She couldn’t control it, and it deepened into what felt like a bad sunburn.

  “See, why are you blushing? Your man was gone a lot. My Terence was a traveling salesman. The week on the road could be long. I invested in some toys and the separation was less stressful.”

  “I really can’t believe we’re having this conversation.”

  “Fair enough. Boundaries should be respected. How about this? Do some reading online. There’s a wealth of information on all the subjects I mention and ways to help ease that discomfort. You deserve to enjoy yourself and enjoy that hot, young man of yours.”

  Could it be that simple? Some practical answers to helping her body along and then going for what she wanted?

  Take something for herself?

  Take Max.

  Damn, that had such an exciting sound she couldn’t imagine saying no. If only life wasn’t so complicated by her history with her dead husband, by being a single mother with children who deserved to be her priority.

  And still, she couldn’t deny, against her better judgment, she wanted Max.

  * * *

  Eyes growing heavy, Max forced himself to concentrate on the content on his tablet. As he sat on his bed against the overstuffed pillows, sleep tugged at him.

  Stretching out, he readjusted. Propped his head in his hand. He needed to learn just a little bit more.

  Max had never backed down from a challenge yet. After today, he wanted to ensure that he could be more helpful to Natalie. Which was why he’d spent the last two hours reading articles about dog training.

  Max was a self-taught hacker—it had launched his cybercareer. He possessed a confidence that, given enough reading and research, he could figure anything out. It was a useful trait in his line of work. It probably was why he was so successful at his job. His need to know and understand things drove him to keep pressing on in spite of hitting brick wall after brick wall in investigating this maverick cybercreep.

  A knock reinvigorated him, causing him to snap his attention from screen to door.

  “Come in.” As the words left his mouth, he hoped it was Natalie.

  Sure enough, as if some magic prayer had been answered, she appeared at the threshold.

  Damn.

  Her damp hair fell in waves, adding to the feminine softness in her features. As she held up the phone that allowed her to listen to her children, her green eyes were filled with hope. And something else. Something he was sure was also present in his hungry gaze.

  A faint smile played on her lips as she pulled innocently on her loose yellow sundress. Stepping all the way into his room, she shut the door behind her. Took a deep sigh and stared at him.

  He took in the sight of her. From the damp hair and bare feet, it was clear she had just showered. She had come to him renewed, that electricity stronger than ever before.

  She shut the door and leaned back against it. “I’ve been doing some reading myself.”

  Where was she going with this? “Reading is good.”

  “Informational reading,” she said with extra emphasis, biting her bottom lip.

  “Okay.” What was he missing?

  “On our issue.”

  “What issue might that be?” He placed his tablet on the bedside table and sat on the edge of the mattress.

  “This is embarrassing to say—” she scrunched her nose and braced her shoulders, creamy shoulders bare with just the straps of her sundress “—so I’m going to spill it all really quickly and I need you not to interrupt so I can just get it out there. All right?”

  He nodded, staying silent, curious as hell as to what she was going to reveal. She looked so serious and intense.

  And nervous.

  The last thing he wanted was for her to feel apprehensive around him.

  “Clearly you had to have noticed that when we had sex, there was some discomfort. We talked about abstinence being an issue. You’re also, um, I don’t want to sound disloyal, but there’s a size issue, too.”

  Size? His brain went on stun for a moment, not sure he’d heard her correctly; then he thought back to their night together, needing to go slow, to give her time to adjust and realized, holy hell, she’d been more than a little uncomfortable.

  He wanted to launch from the bed and close the space between them, cradle her close and make sure she was okay, but she had a distinct stay-back expression, her eyes filled with the unmistakable need to say more.

  But he had something to say first. “Natalie, if I hurt you, then, God, I’m so sorry—”

  She held up a hand. “No, you didn’t hurt me and you have nothing to apologize for. You’re...more. So I read up on how to help make things easier for us and I have ideas. Why are you smiling? I’m being serious here.”

  Was he grinning? Hell, yes. “You want to have sex with me again. Of course I’m smiling.” And he was doing his best not to just jump her, because she was here and he was throbbing to have her under him.

  Over him.

  Beside him.

  “I’m trying to be serious here.”

  “Okay, I can be very serious about having sex with you. Tell me more about your research.”

  “You don’t look very serious.”

  “Oh, I can assure you.” He stood and moved toward her. “When it comes to making sure you are thoroughly, completely, blissfully satisfied, you have my one hundred percent undivided, serious attention.”

  Her eyes flicked to his as he closed the distance between them. Her eyebrows rose, anticipation showing on her face. Inviting.

  Max’s hands went into her hair, and he let a soft triumphant laugh roll free as he brought his face to hers. He could feel the smile in her cheeks.

  They stayed at the precipice of a kiss for a moment, sharing breaths. Natalie’s hands wrapped around him, tightly, urgently.

  Kissing her caused his whole body to pulse with life. Quickly. Fully. Because, there was no denying the truth. A kiss from Natalie topped anything he’d felt with women in the past.

  Right now he couldn’t even bring their names or faces to mind.

  His thoughts, his gaze, even his breath, were all focused on Natalie.

  Nine

  Max’s skilled tongue and roving fingers had Natalie’s toes curling. With a heavy inhale, she soaked in his hot breath on her skin, the subtle nudges pushing her closer. And closer.

  They’d barely begun, and this man had somehow already had her pushing on the throes of total passion.

  “Hold right there.” His deep voice rumbled in her ear.

  Her eyes fluttered open as she stared at him in amazement. Her body was still ablaze from his touch. “Excuse me?”
/>
  “Don’t move.” He sprang to his feet, crossed to the oak dresser and opened the top drawer. “Close your eyes.”

  “Um, I’m not so sure about that.” Angling her head to the side, she studied him in the dull yellow light of the room. God, he was so starkly handsome. “That requires a lot of trust.”

  “You’re here, so I hope that means you trust me.” He winked. “If that’s the case, I promise to do my best to make sure you won’t be disappointed.” He tapped her eyebrows one after the other, encouraging her.

  “Okay, then.” She shut her eyes tight, resisting the urge to peek, though curiosity gnawed at her. Nerves pulled at her, along with anticipation. She wanted this. She was determined this time she could lose herself without reservation. She’d done her best to prepare, to absolutely make the most of this moment.

  Which would be helped tremendously by taking control of her nerves.

  One deep breath at a time, she pushed away concerns and sank into the present. Only here. Only now.

  Natalie began to enjoy a sensation of sounds. She could hear his muffled footsteps on the carpet as he worked around the room. From the thuds, he never seemed to linger in any one place for long. The drawers opened with the creaking only old wood produced.

  The sound of hurried assembly mingled with a match strike—a subtle smell of fire entered the air. Natalie felt twin to the match flame as it found the wick. Light vanilla and jasmine scents wafted through the room.

  She smiled without opening her eyes. “You have candles? I assume you weren’t planning for a power outage.”

  “I was planning—hoping—for this.” His footsteps came closer, closer still until his breath caressed her face. He took her hand. “You can open them.”

  The world, blurry at first, was ablaze.

  One blink. Two.

  Then her eyes adjusted, revealing a fairyscape of winking, twinkling candles scattered all around the room, seeming to occupy every available surface.

  Pink and white rose petals decorated the floor, around the bed. Decadent chocolates swirled in elaborate designs on a silver plate, and imported sparking water glimmered in the light.

  She was touched that he’d planned this—and curious. “You were mighty certain we would be back here.”

  “I wanted to be prepared, just in case, since options for pampering you have been limited.” He held her face in both palms. “And trust me, lady, I very much want to shower you in meals and travel and gifts and a million other ideas, if you would just let me.”

  The thought of that made her head swirl with the complications and problems that would arise from juggling that lifestyle with her children. Sure, people with kids lived fast-track lives, but she didn’t. And Colby also thrived on routine. Each thought made her more tense. She had to stop thinking about tomorrow if she expected to enjoy tonight.

  She cupped his mouth. “Sweet, but not necessary. I’m not here because of what you can buy me. It’s not about money.” She waved a hand around the room. “All of this is thoughtful. That’s what makes it special. That’s what makes you special.”

  “I take that to mean you’ll get naked with me.” A crooked smile spread across his face. He breathed the words onto her skin, plucking the already-loose dress.

  How ironic that he was a cyberguru and after her confidential chat with Margie, the internet had proven to be a helpful source of info on how to relax.

  And the best part? The more she slept with Max, the more her body would accommodate him, the more pleasure she would find—and being with him had already been mighty damn satisfying.

  Now that she’d done her research, she felt freer, ready.

  “I consider it a race to see who can get their clothes off first.” She couldn’t work fast enough to liberate herself from her sundress, nerves pushing her onward. Delighted by his gesture. By the candles. She’d raced into intimacy headlong in a selfish need to indulge herself after the year of hardship and grief. But now her focus was on Max and the step they were going to take...together. Natalie unzipped her dress as he flung his T-shirt to the far corner of the room, revealing that muscled chest. Damn. Desire pulsed in this momentary pause of appreciation.

  “I’m a competitive man. Very competitive.” A deep, throaty laugh. With ease, he kicked aside his shorts and boxers, the discarded clothes joining his exiled T-shirt.

  She pulled in a breath scented with his aftershave and vanilla candles, savory and sweet. Her heart raced at the sight of him. Endlessly masculine. Impressively confident.

  He made her feel more sure of herself, too. His ease with himself. His generous touch. All the ways he was comfortable in his own skin helped her to relax. She knew from her research that was the key to being with him. To resolving the sensual issue that had worried her the first time.

  “Lucky me.” She arched against him, wiggling out of the gold-toned panties until the two of them were flesh to flesh. Her breasts took in the sweet, gentle abrasion of his chest hair, which teased her nipples to tight, sensitive peaks.

  His calloused hands slid down her back to her bottom and lifted her against him.

  She viewed that as the very best kind of invitation to wrap her legs around his waist.

  “Sweet,” he growled against her mouth.

  She melted against him, breathing into the moment, determined to wrest every amount of pleasure from this night. And yes, giving pleasure had its own rewards, better than any chocolate treat.

  Natalie dug her heels into his back as he walked them toward the bed, her loose hair swaying along her spine.

  “Hurry,” she urged against his mouth. “We can have slow with flowers and chocolates, too.”

  She reached down to snag a condom off the bedside table.

  He growled in approval and backed her against the door, freeing one of his hands as she clamped tighter with her legs. She couldn’t resist watching as he rolled the sheath down the turgid length. A shiver of anticipation—and yes, even a hint of apprehension—rippled through her. She breathed, willing the tensed muscles to ease. Max pressed his hand to the door, his legs braced, his erection nudging against the moist core of her.

  Breathing, sighing, her head back against the panel, she welcomed him into her body, gravity gently working its magic as he lowered her, filling her. She hooked her ankles and pressed him the rest of the way home. And oh, yes, this was good, so much better than good. Each slickened thrust sent shimmers of sensation through her starved senses.

  Tremors began quaking soon, all too soon. Even knowing she would have him again tonight, she wanted to draw out this wild moment as long as possible. It seemed that the past couple of days had been a protracted foreplay leading to this. He eased away and stared deeply into her eyes with an intensity that built her need to a taut point that just...couldn’t...be...denied.

  Finally—thank goodness, finally—he kissed her, fully, thoroughly, and thrust into her with a thick abandon that sent her over the edge without warning.

  She bit her lip to hold back a cry of bliss with each wave cresting through her. Her heels dug into his butt as she angled harder into the sensation. His breathing was ragged, urgent. Max moved faster, launching aftershocks. His shout of completion spurred a final wash of pleasure through her. Goose bumps prickled along her flesh, sparks shimmering inside, as well. His forehead fell to rest on the door, his cheek against her hair.

  Replete, her body went limp. She kept her arms locked around his neck as they stood together silently for more heartbeats than she could count.

  Then he released her and her feet slid to the floor. She started to lose her balance, her body still too sated to hold her.

  Smiling, Max scooped her into his arms as he had before. “I have you. Relax.”

  Her body humming with approval, she kissed his chest just over his pounding heart. Later, they cou
ld talk.

  As he lowered her to the petal-strewn bed, her senses lit at his thoughtfulness. The petals were satiny, but scented. He’d done such a lovely thing in preparing without assuming. She was taking one day at a time—and today was amazing and filled with passionate hope that for the moment edged out her concerns about protecting her children, her independence, her heart.

  He smoothed stray locks back from her face, his eyes flaming over her. “You’re so beautiful. Touching you turns me inside out. Hell, just the feel of your silky hair gliding through my fingers makes my teeth ache from wanting you.”

  Clearing her throat, she stretched out beside him, their legs tangled. “You don’t have to speak and convince me.” Her hands fell to rest on his broad shoulders, then she looped her arms around his neck. “I’m here and, yes, I can’t deny we’ve both had chemistry from the moment we first met. I don’t understand the why of it all. It just is.”

  “Some things don’t need to be analyzed.” His thick thigh nudged higher between her legs, a delicious weight and pressure.

  “That’s ironic coming from a techie.” She chuckled lightly against his kiss.

  He combed his fingers through her hair again, light crackles of static snapping through the air. “Business, computers, codes are the last things I’m thinking about when I’m with you.”

  “Hmm.” She savored the feel of his bare skin against her, his hard, muscled body pressing her into the mattress.

  “You know what I want now?” She linked hands with him.

  His body tensed, his fiery eyes full of determination. “Name it. I’ll make it happen.”

  She lifted his hand and kissed the back of it, then nipped his thumb. “I want that chocolate over there—and more of you.”

  * * *

  Warm water streamed down Max’s face, steam filling the shower stall, and he gave a prayer of thanks for the tankless water heater that made it possible to stay in this shower with Natalie even longer still. He’d come a long way from the kid who’d waited in line for his turn in the bathroom, often behind a half-dozen other people. Yeah, he liked hot water. A lot.